Something slightly interesting for £1,000 or less

[Twincam16]

excel monkey said:

Something interesting for under a grand? If only PH could run a weekly feature on this subject!

Saracasm aside, how about a Mk2 Golf GTI or an E30 3-series? Both covered by SOTW in the past...

Edited by excel monkey on Thursday 26th April 12:37

Come to think of it, and appropriately it was featured recently on SOTW, the fastest (and it's genuinely fast) car you could reliably pick up for under a grand is probably a Saab 9000 Turbo.

[Bacon Is Proof]

FussyFez said:

Bacon Is Proof said:

5 dr Honda Civic 1.8 VTi.

170BHP
LSD
Easily over 30mpg, I thrashed mine and averaged 29.9mpg over 2 years.
8,400rpm redline.

Suspension is a bit soft, but handling balance isn't bad.

Just seen this...

Only difference is the s had an extended body kit.

Bodykit, some had different wheels, pirates black (slightly purpley) paint, VTi-S written on the mats/gearknob and red stitching on the gator.
MB6 was the code for it (MC2 for the estate version).
B18C4 engine, not quite as peaky as its brother in the Integra, but I seem to remember the C4 was Ichishima Tatsuru's (founder of Spoon Sports) favourite B series for tuning.

[Needa308GT4]

Twincam16 said:

'Widebody' Alfa Romeo 155 2.0TS?

Almost everything a GTV is, only with proper rear seats, rear doors, a huge boot and a great enigmatic thanks to evil, brooding styling, BTCC heritage and the fact the diesel wasn't sold over here.

Cheap to tax, very well-made, great fun to drive, and you can buy the best for the price of a knackered GTV.

I know this because I was in precisely the same position looking for a Fiat Coupe or a GTV and all I could find was tired examples, then the 155 came up and I kept it for four years. Superb car.

Absolutely. This. More fun than any of its contemporaries (and if you can find a widebody 8v, which you CAN for that price, you don't even need to worry about the belts.

Probably THE most underrated used car of all time. Handle like a dream from a superb FWD chassis, looks are very 90's but so much BETTER than the Mondeos and Cavaliers and 3 series of the time, utterly revtastic with a sweet sounding twin cam that makes other 2.0l 16v cars seem ever so dull and for a grand you can get a very very nice example of this appreciating classic. Oh, alos for a grand there should be not rot as any that may have appeared, predominantly boot floor and INNER rear arches will have been sorted.

Do it.